See the top rated post in this thread. Click here

Results 1 to 7 of 7

Thread: Shuffle tracking

  1. #1


    Did you find this post helpful? Yes | No

    Shuffle tracking

    I don't expect anyone to give up games or their livelihood etc but is this something worth learning? Do good games exist and can you get action down without heat? Everywhere I play seems to have a very similar shuffle but I suppose I don't know quite what to look for yet and it's quite possible I'm missing the key elements. I mostly play bj for comps and fun nowadays because I have bigger edges and want to avoid getting heated up, however I am always looking for things to scout in a casino and this is one.

    I am studying it out of interest for now but it seems the amount of work needed to get good is fairly high and I'd like some idea if this is worth the time beforehand.

  2. #2
    Senior Member Bodarc's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    136 miles North of West
    Posts
    1,949


    1 out of 1 members found this post helpful. Did you find this post helpful? Yes | No
    Here is what I have decided after 3 months of daily practice. Your deck estimation needs to be very good. Your cutting has to be accurate (if you get the cut when you need it). Dealers have to make fairly consistent grabs. If you are working by yourself, there is a lot to keep up with. ie recording slugs for the next shoe, keeping up with decks, counts etc on the current shoe, pseudo decks and multipliers etc. It would be a lot easier with 2 people. Even if you get all of that right, it is still fickle. Sometimes after the cut, you'll say the resulting deck is impossible. Buy CVShuffle and practice and you'll see what I mean. Read volume 2 of Modern Blackjack and about NRS. But then there are a lot of people who are much better at it I am sure.

    Butttttttttttttttttttt ....I like practicing and learning so yes, it is worth it to me and when you try to keep up with so many things and then just go back to simple counting, you can almost do it in your sleep.
    Play within your bankroll, pick your games with care and learn everything you can about the game. The winning will come. It has to. It's in the cards. -- Bryce Carlson

  3. #3


    Did you find this post helpful? Yes | No
    Get Snyders Shuffle Trackers Cookbook. Look for casinos that have a fairly simple 1 pass shuffle. A good way to practice is to get 7 decks of cards and make a 6 deck discard pile, on the 7th deck color one edge with black marker. Take 3/4 of a deck from your 6 deck discard pile and replace it with 3/4 deck of your colored pile, turn the discard pile around so can't see the colored edge, perform your casinos typical shuffle. Turn the cards around again so you can see where the colored edge cards end up. You want to cut those cards to the front, spread to multiple hands, bet according to "pseudo deck" count. This is a real simple explanation, but you'll get the jist of what to look for when you do it a few times. This practice idea came also from Snyder, not sure if it was in Blackbelt in Blackjack, Big book of Blackjack, or maybe in the cookbook. It's a skill that takes practice and there are alot of nuances that go with it. But when you nail that slug and paint comes flying, yippee. You may also want to check out Seymon Dukachs(?) DVD Blackjack Advanced Techniques. Good luck.

  4. #4


    Did you find this post helpful? Yes | No
    It's doable. I've made some money at it. It leads to pretty good low-heat games. Your edge is usually as good or better than a strong count game.

    However, it's dangerous. If you're counting, as long as you know basic strategy, you're not giving up much to the house. And a counting error or two per shoe will cost some money, but it won't take away your edge. With tracking, if you miss the heavies, you could be betting into a -2% game or worse. And there are a LOT more ways to miss the heavies:

    1. Your deck estimation was off on the first shoe
    2. Your count was off on the first shoe
    3. Your deck estimation was off on the shuffle
    4. Your deck estimation was off on your cut
    5. Your deck estimation is off in the current shoe (you think it's earlier or later than it really is)

    It's much harder than counting, requires more brainpower, more room for error, more operational issues, etc. There are some simpler/safer ways to track that can be a good place to start. But I don't want to cover specifics on this section of the forum.

    I don't recommend even thinking about it for new players. And it's not something to do half-baked. But, you can easily get SCORES over 100, and play all day without heat at a few places.
    The Cash Cow.

  5. #5


    Did you find this post helpful? Yes | No
    As to Pete's post, I think the Shuffle Tracker's Cookbook is an absolute must. But it is foundational material, and I don't think it's sufficient on its own to get the money. I definitely would not have been successful without learning from a few of the ninja-assassin trackers on the old forum.
    The Cash Cow.

  6. #6


    Did you find this post helpful? Yes | No
    I bought the book and am going to practice with the marked shoe at home. But seems really tough. Have no interest in doing this until I get GOOD or find a really good game.

  7. #7


    Did you find this post helpful? Yes | No
    Quote Originally Posted by biggg View Post
    I bought the book and am going to practice with the marked shoe at home. But seems really tough. Have no interest in doing this until I get GOOD or find a really good game.
    I'll be honest, I've only seen a handful of playable games, and only one "really good" game.
    The Cash Cow.

Similar Threads

  1. Shuffle Tracking Tools software compare to Qift CV Shuffle
    By seriousplayer in forum General Blackjack Forum
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 03-07-2012, 08:14 PM
  2. Mr.Pro: Shuffle Tracking
    By Mr.Pro in forum International Scene
    Replies: 24
    Last Post: 11-22-2002, 03:42 AM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

About Blackjack: The Forum

BJTF is an advantage player site based on the principles of comity. That is, civil and considerate behavior for the mutual benefit of all involved. The goal of advantage play is the legal extraction of funds from gaming establishments by gaining a mathematic advantage and developing the skills required to use that advantage. To maximize our success, it is important to understand that we are all on the same side. Personal conflicts simply get in the way of our goals.